Child of Time, Traitor's Son
by HopeIsAnIllusion
Summary: Shortly after the Princess Andromeda exploded, Kronos came to realize the limits of Luke's body. So he decided that if he were to fail, he'd at least leave a legacy behind. Fourteen years later, a boy discovers the true nature of his heritage and struggles with the revelation. Will he overcome the legacy of his fathers, or will he let them consume him? Eventual Godlike!OC
1. Chapter 1

**(Warning: Mentions of rape in this chapter)**

 **Hey. I go by HopeIsAnIllusion, and this is my first PJO fanfic. It's mostly OC-Centric, but that doesn't mean the main cast won't pop up every now and then.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the story!**

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 **Prologue**

In the distance, an explosion could be seen not that far off from Long Island Sound. Many people, mostly fisherman, saw the explosion and were immediately confused, but most of all concerned, causing many to return home for the evening. Several minutes later, a small circle of water off the docks began to bubble, before a torpedo of water shot up and splashed onto the wooden docks. The water began to take form and solidify, revealing a large and muscular middle aged man with white hair, and in his arms was a young man with blonde hair in his early twenties. Or at least, that was the body of the host. The one in control was drowning, and close to death. His brother set him down on the floor and put his hand on his younger brother's chest. A few seconds later, he began coughing up water, finally returning to consciousness. He tried to get up, but his older brother eased him.

"Be calm, younger brother. You nearly died, you should settle before resuming your plans." he put a hand on his brother's shoulder, but the golden eyed Titan swatted away his hand.

"Do not mock me, Oceanus. You know I have survived far worse than this." he said, albeit dazed as he got back onto his feet. His brother, Oceanus, frowned, standing up with him.

"Indeed, but this time, you are being protected by a mortal host, meaning you have weaknesses that you did not have before. Kronos, should this body die..." Oceanus trailed off, but the Titan King scoffed.

"I am aware of what will happen if Luke Castellan's body dies. Mortal body or not, I will _not_ fail. Not again." he growled, remembering his humiliating defeat at the hands of his sons. The only reason those bastards beat him was because they ambushed him while he had his guard down. Cowards.

Oceanus huffed, turning his back to him. "Be cautious, brother. I did not break my neutrality for nothing. Know that even with the Achilles' Curse, you are as vulnerable as any mortal. Keep that in mind, and we might actually win this war." his advice given, the Titan of the Ocean turned into liquid and disappeared into the ocean. Kronos glared at water beneath him, the scar on his host's face more prominent.

 _'You are as vulnerable as any mortal'_ Oceanus's words rung like an echo in his ears. The Titan King snarled, opening his hand and summoning his scythe out of nothing. He turned back, making his trip towards Manhattan. He needed to gather what remained of the _Princess Andromeda_ and join with the rest of his forces. He would end this conflict on the day of Jackson's sixteenth year, and take back what was stolen from him.

XXX

Kronos, in his base of operations, was currently residing in his tent, finishing up his orders to his top players on the board.

"...is that understood, Hecate, Morpheus?" the images of the minor gods appeared through the divine fire burning in the celestial bronze ceremonial bowl. It was a much older form of communication, where a being a of divine heritage drew from their own blood, poured it into the bowl and lit it on fire, appearing on the other side as smoke.

The minor gods bowed their heads. "Of course, Crooked One." Kronos chuckled at the nickname, dousing the flames in water and ending the call. Usually at this moment he'd be charging into battle without a second thought, sure of his victory (of which he was positively sure of), but one thing held him back.

 _'You are as vulnerable as any mortal'_ Kronos had given his brother's warning much thought, and realized he may have been right. Sure, with the Curse of Achilles no one could kill him as easily, but he could still very well die. One such example was mere days before, when he had nearly _drowned_ because of his arrogance and failure to notice the son of Hephaestus flip a little switch. And going up against Jackson, he knew that may very well happen again. Especially with his spies at camp telling him that the son of Poseidon was seen mysteriously leaving with the son of Hades. To be blessed by the Styx, no doubt.

And so, in the following days, Kronos had found a way to make sure he still won, at the very end.

"L-Lord?" Kronos snapped out of his thoughts and turned to see a young son of Hermes, barely into his adolescence, nervously step into his tent.

"What is it?" he demanded, impatient. The demigod flinched, stuttering, "W-We f-f-found h-her, my lord! The g-girl you asked for." the son of Hermes opened the flap of tent, letting in the woman he asked to meet.

"You asked for me, Lord Kronos?" the girl's stance was calm, and indifferent. But Kronos could see right through her. He turned to the boy. "Leave us be." the young demigod ran out of the tent as quickly as he could. Kronos slowly walked up to her, meeting her only a few inches away. He began pacing around her, stalking her as if she were prey. She was exactly like her picture: young, black hair, tall, gray eyes, but most notably, absolutely beautiful.

"Child." Kronos said softly, the duality of his voice causing her to flinch. He ignored this, asking, "State your name and heritage."

The girl did as she was told. "Ashley Johnson. Daughter of Athena."

 _'Daughter of that bitch, eh? She will do just fine.'_ Kronos grinned inwardly but showed no expression outwardly. Still, he felt compelled to ask, "Why have you joined my ranks, wisdom child? Your kind are one of the least I'd expect in my army." this time, Ashley's face changed to one of resolve and resentment.

"The gods are all fools. I believe that, to the bottom of my heart. They think they can rule us and use us, all the while manipulating humanity and making them suffer the consequences for it." Kronos blinked, confusion clear in his eyes. "I...do not understand." he admitted.

"The gods manipulate us and beat us down, all so that we don't fall out of line. So that we adore them, make them stronger." She looked straight into the Titan's eyes, and he couldn't help but admire the steely resolve he saw in her eyes.

"Humanity isn't saved if it isn't allowed to evolve. But we can evolve, Lord Kronos. In your New Golden Age, humanity will rise far higher than it has under the guidance of the gods. I'm sure of it." Lord Kronos looked at her for a couple of moments, before he burst out laughing. Ashley flinched, both confused and embarrassed at how the Titan King was openly laughing at her, as if everything she'd just said was nothing more than a joke.

But that wasn't necessarily the case. If anything, Kronos was intrigued. Never had he found a woman with such ambition before. Indeed, mortals were peculiar creatures. Their talent was more than what met the eye...perhaps he was wrong in his previous past-time of killing mortals. He turned to face Ashley, towering over her.

"Indeed, I was not wrong. Ashley Johnson, you will be a worthy carrier to my legacy." he said, ready to begin. Suddenly, Kronos shoved her onto the bed, which the daughter of Athena was positive was not there before. Scared, she looked up to ask what he was doing...only to see him on top of her, holding her hands down with a glazed look in his golden eyes. Realizing what was going on, Ashley desperately began thrashing around, trying to throw the Titan Lord off of her, but he was _strong_. He began kissing her neck, at which Ashley gave an involuntary moan.

"Please s-stop! Please Lord Kronos, d-don't do this!" the demigoddess begged. The Crooked One chuckled against her skin, tearing off her shirt and revealing her bra. Nearing her ear, Kronos whispered, "Not a chance."

XXX

Kronos buckled up his pants, and threw on a breastplate, grabbing his scythe in sword form. He exited his tent, and ordered some of his followers to keep watch of Ashley. The Titan King mounted his chariot, and ordered his army to take charge. He had an empire to destroy. "Forward!" he yelled, and the army charged, leaving only a few monsters and demigods behind to guard their base.

In the tent, Ashley was naked under the covers, frozen in place. She look in her eyes was dead, except she was still breathing. After a couple of minutes went by, she sat upright, her shoulders shaking. Holding back a sob, she grabbed her clothes and threw them on, not at all caring that she looked like a total mess. Not that she was one for looks anyway. Walking quickly, she made her way towards her tent, opening the flap and grabbing her duffel. She grabbed a bunch of essential materials such as food, nectar, ambrosia along with a knife. She grabbed her sword and sheath, strapping them onto her hip. She tied her hair in a messy bun, and deemed it was time.

Throwing open the flap, she ran across the base, wanting to leave as quickly as possible. Most of the soldiers looked on in confusion, but the monsters quickly realized that she was trying to escape and maybe even going to aid their enemy, marking her as one. A couple of Scythian Dracaenae surrounded her, causing the young daughter of Athena to stop in her tracks.

"Where do you think your going, gi-" the monster's sentence was cut short when Ashley slashed her throat using her sword. The Dracaenae clutched at her throat, before she inevitably fell to her fate, as a pile of dust. The others gawked for a second, before they angrily charged at the demigoddess. Ashley's ADHD began acting up, dialing her senses to eleven and fueling her with adrenaline. She dropped to ground and slashed, hacking off several tails off of several dracaenae, turning them into dust. Three more launched themselves at her, so Ashley rolled out of the way, but not before one of the dracaenae scratched at her bicep with her claws. Ashley clutched her wound, hissing at the pain. She tried to fight them off, but she was not used to fighting with one arm. So instead she did a wide arc slash, forcing the she-dragons to jump back, and the daughter of Athena made a run for it, not once looking back or slowing down.

By the time all the adrenaline had disappeared, Ashley realized she'd been running nonstop, which was why when she finally found herself in the clear, her legs gave out, causing her to collapse hard onto the concrete ground. The fact that all that running had only made the bleeding from her wound accelerate did not make matters any better. So as Ashley laid there, tired and bleeding out, she thought to herself, was any of this worth it?

After awhile, she decided _'None of it matters anyway. After all, I'm still gonna die.'_ and those were her last thoughts before blacking out.

XXX

 _Several weeks later..._

When she woke up, Ashley was admittedly surprised when she realized that she had not died. Fully coming to her senses, the daughter of Athena realized that she was in a hospital room. How she could tell, well, white and bland along with an IV drip attached to your arm were probably dead giveaways. So was the fact that she was dressed in a light blue hospital gown...wait...

Ashley screamed so loudly, she was sure she just shattered everyone's eardrums within the building diameter. She was _huge_. Or rather, her stomach was.

 _'Damn it, this was what Kronos wanted! Not just a good luck fuck.'_ she thought, wincing when she felt what she thought was a kick from her baby. Gods, _her_ baby. She'd already decided since she was twelve that she _never_ wanted to have kids. In her mind, they were nothing but a distraction. And now here she was, pregnant with the Titan Lord's child. He was waiting for this, just in case he lost to Percy Jackson. And that's when the real question settled in: just how long was she out for? Clearly months, but it could've been more or less sense this wasn't exactly a normal pregnancy. And while her stomach was big, it wasn't that large. Meaning she must've only been in the second trimester. Or maybe not. She'd never done too much research in regards to pregnancy besides what they taught in sex-ed back in junior high.

And that left for the final question: did Kronos win? Maybe, maybe not. It could've either been him or some stranger who dragged her to the hospital, as she really had no idea as to who came out victorious in the final battle.

 _'Either way...I can't let this...thing be born. I can't. I won't.'_ Looking to her right, Ashley saw a shiny sharp metal object. She wasn't a doctor, so she didn't know what it was, but what she was sure of was that edge and point of thing were sharp enough to get the job done. Closing her eyes, she braced herself.

"Hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop that!" Ashley was startled by the doctor that had suddenly entered the room, enough to force her to drop the tool. The doctor took it, setting it on the other desk. He looked down at her, placing his hands on his hips like a scolding parent.

"Ms. Johnson, just what did you think you were doing? You could've killed your son!" he said frantically, as if the idea of killing a baby made him sick. Well she didn't care. He wouldn't get it anyway.

"It's none of your concern." she said, looking away from him like a stubborn child. The doctor sighed. "It kind of is, especially since this is the first demigod pregnancy in gods know how long." Ashley blinked, not expecting that response. She turned to look at him, and couldn't help but notice some of his defining characteristics. Blonde hair, tan skin, green eyes...

"Your a son of Apollo. Tch. How typical." she stated, rolling her eyes. The son of Apollo raised an eyebrow at her. "And you're a daughter of Athena. A bit different from the rest though." she glared at him.

"And exactly what is that supposed to mean?" she demanded. The doctor grinned cheekily. "Nothing much. But moving on," he pulled out the chair next to her bed.

"You mind telling me why you just tried to kill yourself and your baby? Seems pretty illogical to me." he said, unknowingly taking a jab at Ashley's pride. Her jaw stiffened. "If only you knew who the father was."

He frowned. "The child should never take on the sins of the father; something a lot of us back at camp tend to forget." wisdom's daughter scoffed, pulling back strands of hair from her face.

"This child's father was the whole reason for both the Titanomachy wars." she said. The doctor's eyes widened, and his jaw slackened. "O-Oh."

Ashley laughed, but there was no humor behind it. "Yeah, oh. Gods, I was so stupid. I was blinded by my resentment for the gods that I actually fell for such an obvious lie. Mother must be laughing her ass off." she kept laughing, but they quickly turned into sobs. Gods, she was a complete _idiot_.

The son of Apollo stayed silent as she watched the daughter of Athena beat herself up. Finally, after a few minutes, he said, "You know, I get it."

Ashley momentarily stopped her self pity, and looked at him questioningly. He decided to continue. "You know, two weeks ago, when Percy Jackson made the gods swear to acknowledge all the other gods, I learned something, and it really put a perspective onto things."

The bearer of Kronos's child couldn't help but be curious. "What?"

The doctor looked straight into her eyes. "For all their power, for all their divinity, at the end of the day, the gods...are just like us. People. And people make mistakes, all the time. It's how we deal with those problems that determines the kind of people we are. And I have no doubt in mind, that this has made the Olympians take a progressive step forward. It doesn't change our past, but it sets a good idea of what the future may hold." he shook his head, realizing he was rambling. "Ms. Johnson, by letting that baby live, you're taking a step forward with us. You're becoming apart of a brighter future, and so will your son. But, at the end of the day, it's your choice." finishing his speech, he stood up and began exiting her room. When he touched the handle of the door, he heard her ask, "So it's a boy?"

He paused, grinning to himself. "Yeah, it is. Congratulations, Ms. Johnson."

She looked up, her hair shadowing her face a little. "Ashley is fine. And thanks, um..."

"Robert. Robert Wilson." Robert exited the room, leaving Ashley with enough time to think about what he'd said.

XXX

 _September 11th, 2010_

"UGH!" Ashley cried out. Robert was beside her, holding her hand, which was painfully clutching his own. He didn't say this though, only encouraging her to push forward.

"Come on, Ashley, you're almost there!" Robert said encouragingly.

"FUCK YOU! YOU'VE BEEN SAYING THAT FOR THE PAST SIX HOURS!" Ashley yelled, causing him to shut up immediately.

"I see the head, just a little more!" the midwife said, actually encouraging the daughter to push further. With a final breathtaking scream, the pain ended...and then there were wails. The cries of a newborn infant.

"Successful birth on September 11th, 2010 at 5:35 PM." the midwife recorded. She and her assistants helped her wash the baby, and wrap it up in a towel. Walking over to the tired mother, she gently set the baby in her harms.

"You have a beautiful baby son, Ms. Johnson." she told her, before they all left the room. Robert was about to go as well, but the recent mother stopped him.

"No, don't go. You're the only reason he's here." she said, causing the son of Apollo to blush slightly.

"You were the one that decided to keep him. You should be proud of yourself." he said proudly, to which Ashley chuckled weakly at. She looked down at her sleeping child, admiring just how adorable he was. Words couldn't describe how she felt, and she couldn't believe she ever thought about getting rid of her baby herself.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Robert asked, breaking the silence. Ashley, still in awe, nodded. "I have. I think Zachary is a good name." Robert snorted, to which the daughter of wisdom glared at him for. "What? What's wrong with it?"

"Oh nothing, just that he's totally gonna get bullied on for that name." Ashley rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up."

Robert smirked. "Hey, why not Luke? There's like a bunch of religious meanings behind that one." he then nearly face palmed at what he'd just said. "I'm so sorry, I forgot-"

"No." Ashley cut him off, still frowning. Honestly, she might've chosen the name Luke had the demigod she knew with that name not been the host of the man that raped her. "I don't want to give him that name. I don't want to associate him with either of his fathers."

Robert nodded, but didn't think seem to agree. "You know that's impossible, right? He's going to find out eventually."

Ashley bit her lip. "I have to try, Robert. I'm a mother now, and I'm going to take care of him no matter the costs." Robert sighed, but didn't push any further. "So Zachary it is?"

"Yeah...Zachary Johnson has a nice ring to it."

And so it began.

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 **So thoughts anyone? Don't feel compelled to review, but I'd really appreciate the support...**

 **If this gets any attention, expect the next update two weeks from now.**

 **~~Peace out~~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter number two. I did say give it two weeks, but sometimes I will produce a chapter under that length of time. Anyway, enjoy chapter two.**

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 **Enter: Zachary Johnson**

 _September 14,_ _2024_

On most early Saturday mornings, kids and teens alike would prefer to stay in bed for a few extra hours before actually getting up. Admittedly, he did too. But he had a bad habit of getting up at six in the morning. So he decided if this was going to be the case every damn morning, he might as well do something productive. And by productive, he didn't mean cleaning, making breakfast or anything lame like that. In fact, he'd prefer to be shooting at some trees.

Walking towards a rather large sized tree, he backed up and ran up the tree. As he felt gravity begin to take over, he jumped up and grabbed the branch. He struggled somewhat to pull himself up the branch. He might've been athletic sure, but he didn't have the 'visibly muscular' type of body. Finally getting himself up the tree branch, he knelt down, holding out his hand to the side to hold on to the tree bark so that he wouldn't lose his balance. He kept his eyes shut and cleared his mind, clearing his mind and making sure he didn't focus on the one thing that scared him: heights. No instead there was only him, and the targets. Focus...on the targets...

He breathed in deep...before letting himself fall. He kept his eyes shut, determining the speed he was falling at and roughly how long it would take before he met his imminent death. He focused...and suddenly, time seemed much slower. His hazel colored eyes snapped open and darted in several different directions: up, southeast, west, northeast. His left hand quickly grabbed the recurve bow attached to his quiver, and his right hand grabbed an arrow with a long rope and clasp attached to it. Attaching the clasp to his bow, he aimed the first arrow and fired, all in less than three seconds. The arrow hit the first target, which he had carved with a knife a week prior (as he did with all his targets), almost directly in the center. The rope straightened, and he clung onto dear life as the momentum swung him onto a branch of a smaller tree. Not stopping, he aimed two arrows west and fired, one hitting directly in the center while the other barely hit the target. He turned and aimed another arrow northeast, the arrow landing in the middle as well, then aimed another carrier arrow (the ones with rope) at the southeast target. This one was a bit out of sight, so he shut his left eye and focused his right eye on the carving down below. He waited for a few silent moments before his right index and middle fingers released the arrow, the arrow landing but he didn't have the patience whether it made dead center or not. He jumped and swung down, like Tarzan, except he didn't beat his chest like an absolute moron. Once he approached ground level, he let go and prepared to make a badass superhero landing...only to trip and end up bouncing down the ground, leaving human sized tracks of dirt. He groaned as he stood up.

"Okay, that's on me. Superhero landings are impossible, not to mention hard on your knees." Zachary Johnson patted away the dirt on his clothing, wondering why the hell he ever bothered trying to do these stupid stunts. Seriously, any normal kid his age wouldn't think about doing something this stupid.

"I guess that's what I get for trying to be a superhero." the blonde muttered. He looked up, and was a bit disappointed with his results. Only three of his arrows actually hit the target. The other two missed by _centimeters_. Maybe that's why his landing failed. Regardless, it showed Zachary that he was beginning to hit a wall, his limits. Tiredly, he threw his bow across his quiver, running over to his bike. He mounted it, and cycled back home.

He saw a raven flap by, which he paid no mind to. Except, this particular raven had golden feathers and blue irises, and oversaw the skill known as archery. And it, or rather _he_ , was particularly interested why that boy seemed so off.

XXX

The brown haired boy finally came across his house, and put away his bike in the garage before entering the house. Zachary overheard some noise in the kitchen and living room, and assumed the entire family was awake. Walking towards the kitchen, he saw his mother there, checking the news on her phone on one hand, and drinking a cup of tea with the other. No one in the house was allowed to drink coffee or anything caffeinated, since everyone in the house had either ADHD or ADD. In his case, it was the latter.

"Hey mom." the boy said nonchalantly, scaring the absolute shit out his mother. The raven haired woman spun around, a hand on her chest. "Gods Zack, what have I told you about scaring me like that?" she said, her heart probably beating loudly. Zachary grinned. "And what have I told _you_ about calling me Zack? It sounds like the name of some idiotic jock." he opened up the fridge, pulling out a box that contained a refrigerated breakfast sandwich.

Ashley rolled her grey eyes. "Right, it's _my_ fault that _you_ nearly scared the living daylights out of me?" her son scoffed, putting the sandwich in the microwave for three minutes.

"Your'e too easy to scare. There are few people in this world that are that paranoid, and you are easily in the top ten." Zachary shot back. Ashley's eye twitched, turning away from him. He heard her mutter something in Greek, and strangely enough he could've sworn he heard her say something like "little smartass" but that was probably his imagination. He couldn't speak any other language besides English, with the exception of the bit of Spanish he knew already from his friends. Actually, that reminded him...

"Hey mom, can you drive me over to Anthony's? I promised him we'd meet up early to hang out." Ashley shook her head no. "Sorry honey, I can't. I'm already going to be late for work, I can't afford to be even more late."

Zachary frowned at this, but then said, "Oh, that's fine then. I'll just ask Robert if he can take me instead." he was about to go upstairs and ask his stepfather, but his mother touched his shoulder.

"Sorry Zack, but Robert got called in for work." Zachary blinked. What?

"Wait, what? But that doesn't make any sense, Robert's shift doesn't start until eleven." Ashley sighed, sounding a little sad when she spoke.

"An old friend of mine got into an accident last night. He suffered a severe spinal cord injury, and they needed your stepfather's expertise on the matter." seeing her downtrodden face, Zachary said, "I'm sure he'll be fine. Rob's one of the best surgeons out there."

That seemed to lift her spirits a little, as she said, "Yeah, you're right. I'm sure he'll be alright." she took another sip of her tea, grabbing her keys and making her way out. Before she left, Ashley turned around and asked, "You'll be fine, right?"

Zachary nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

His mother smiled, and shut the door on her way out. Zachary grabbed the sandwich from the microwave, as it was done heating up. While he was eating, he decided to text his friend Anthony.

 _Yo. You up?_

It didn't take long to get a text back.

 _Yep. So we meetin up or nah?_

 _Yeah, but imma be a little late._

 _That's cool. Cya._

Zachary threw out the wrapper and went back outside. He mounted his bike and started pedaling. Anthony's house was pretty far, and he'd need to get there as quickly as possible.

XXX

"Must suck for Robert." Anthony said, tossing the football. Zachary threw it back, replying, "Yeah, having to perform that type of work knowing that you might fail must really put a strain. Especially on Rob. The guy's _way_ too good for his own good."

Anthony smirked, backing up a little. "Go long!" He reeled his arm back and threw the ball _far_. Zachary cursed. "Damn it Anthony, you dick!" He began running the other way to make sure the football didn't touch down. For a few brief second, that thing happened again, where time seemed to slow down, but only for a few seconds. He almost didn't notice it this time. Finally, he caught up and jumped, catching the ball in his arms but was sent tumbling down the grass.

"What?! That's impossible!" his best friend called out from meters away on his spot. Zachary laughed, about to throw it back but then stopped. An unpleasant chill went up his spine, and out of instinct, spun around as if he was expecting someone there...or something. Behind him, were the deep dark woods, where no one went due to the fact there have been sightings of foxes out there. They usually stayed away, unless provoked. But still, something seemed off.

"Yo!" Zachary spun back around, seeing his friend hold out his arms. "You gonna throw it or what?" The hazel eyed boy frowned, turning back to face the forest.

"Yo, um, I think we should move to another spot. I'm getting this really weird feeling." Zachary shouted, but Anthony didn't seem to understand.

"What? Dude, right here's fine! Throw the damn ball already!" he snapped, getting impatient. But he didn't notice Zachary's panic. He wasn't the one who suddenly had his sense dialed to eleven, nor could the only thing he heard was his heart beating inside his chest. Adrenaline filled Zachary's body, and every instinct in his body was telling him one thing: _move_.

The second the boy took off, did an earthquake happen. The people around him started panicking, and Zachary had lost track of Anthony, but at the moment he didn't really care. All he cared about was getting as far away as possible from this entire mess. And that's when the real horror began. Loud, multiple roars stopped him in his tracks, and his curiousity got the better of him. He really wished it hadn't, because what he was looking at was a _giant fucking serpent with 12 heads_. The heads alone reached around fifteen feet high, and Zachary didn't even want to know how long the rest of its body was, seeing the tracks it left behind.

 _'Fuck this, I need to get out of here right now! I gotta call mom and-'_ Zachary lost his train his thought as the sniffing heads turned to look at his direction. He froze, but logically thought that weren't going to come after him. The thing didn't come after anyone else so maybe-

The monster roared, and slithered his way, all twelve head opening their gaping jaws, there teeth as sharp as diamonds. It was moving so fast that his mind didn't even perceive it...but his body did. He didn't notice it, but time slowed down, if only briefly, and then...he jumped.

Zachary's legs left the ground and he jumped in between the space between two of the heads. He landed several yards away from it, the thing eating nothing but pure grass and dirt as its heads finally struck. The ground shook, snapping him out of his daze. He looked at himself and the monster behind him.

"T-That was over a ten foot jump. H-How did I...?" he looked down at himself, wondering just what the literal fuck had happened. He heard a roar, and he saw all twelve heads about to chew him out, and instinctively he ducked and began rolling out the way of the heads. He avoided most of them, but one had actually nicked him, which was pretty bad considering they had huge teeth. He cried out as he clutched his torn up arm. It was bleeding pretty badly, so he could do nothing else but wait for certain death as the monster's head opened up its large jaw...and that's when it received a barrage of silver arrows to its face. The head cried out, and collapsed on top of Zachary's legs, breaking every bone in his lower body. He screamed in pain, and was wondering why he hadn't died or at least passed out yet.

"Hunters! Formation Omega!" fortunately, both the young man's sight and and hearing were perfectly fine, so he heard the punk girl with the silver jacket order the other silver jacket wearing girls to surround the beast. They drew back their bow strings and began firing an unbelievable amount of arrows at the monster, taking down head by head easily. Zachary flinched every time he thought one of the collapsing heads would fall onto him, but was relieved every time he survived. Finally, Zachary saw the punk girl, who he now assumed was the leader of the group, raise her bronze spear up into the air as the area began to smell like ozone. That's when he saw a storm begin to quickly form in the sky, the center of it all seemingly the punk girl. Zachary thought that to be impossible until an actual _bolt of lightning_ struck down and hit her, the bronze acting as a perfect conductor. Even more surprising however, was the fact that she wasn't dead. No, if anything, she looked energized, as if she'd just taken a Red Bull. She reeled back her spear and thrust it forward, a bolt of lightning shooting out from that weapon and heading straight for the monster. That would've been nice if he hadn't been trapped under the damn thing's head!

Adrenaline began to fill his body once more, and only one thing went through his mind: survival.

Zachary wasn't actually sure what happened next, but next thing he knew everything went dark. Not the unconscious kind of dark, more like the dark room kind of dark. He became startled by what sounded like an explosion, and then there was silence. He heard some talking from outside of wherever he was, and called out from wherever he was.

"Hello? Hey, if anyone can hear me, get me out of this thing!" he smacked his hand against the bark (how the hell did he get inside a damn tree?), calling out for help. After a few more seconds of silence, he heard someone knock from the other side?

"Um, hello?" said the muffled voice. The wounded boy's eyes lit up. "Yes? Hey, I'm trapped in this thing! Can you please get help?" there was some arguing from the other side, and that's when she said, "Alright, hold on."

Zachary waited for a couple of seconds, and that's when he heard a _thump_ against the wood. The stranger kept banging against the wood, and then eventually, the wood splintered, showing the outside world. He hesitantly opened his eyes, and recognized the punk girl from earlier standing over him. She grabbed his arm and got him out of the confined space, which he now saw was a cocoon tree roots. He didn't even have the time to wonder how that was possible, as the pain in his lower body and in his right arm was too much to bear.

The punk girl lightly slapped his cheek, keeping him awake. "Hey, hey stay with me. What's your name kid?"

Zachary frowned at the word 'kid', but nonetheless replied, "Z-Zachary. W-Who are you people?" he asked, gesturing to her and the rest of her archer friends.

"My name's Thalia, and I lead the Hunters whenever my lady is busy with her duties." she said but it didn't make much sense to him.

"W-What was that thing? And y-you, the l-lightning and-" he ended mumbling nonsense as the pain started to take over. A larger, chubbier girl stepped forward, giving him a mean look for some reason.

"Lieutenant, what are you doing? We killed the Hydra, now we must go before people begin to take notice. You know the Mist isn't as-" she was cut when Thalia raised her fist, demanding silence.

"I know that Phoebe, but we can't leave this boy to die. He doesn't even know who he is!" They continued to argue amongst themselves, while Zachary continued to slowly near his inevitable death. Thalia noticed he was getting worse and told Phoebe, "Look, we can argue later but _I_ am the lieutenant of the Hunt, and I'm _ordering_ you to get me a flask of nectar. Now!" she nearly barked. Phoebe still looked like she wanted to argue more, but she nodded and grabbed an old fashioned flask from her hip and gave it to Thalia. The punk girl popped it open and knelt beside him.

"Just relax." she told him, before pouring a strange yellow liquid over his arm. Zachary expected it to hurt, but surprisingly, his arm felt much better. No stinging pain or anything. She then put it in his mouth, and forced me to drink the rest. Zachary obliged, and he felt my broken bones being set back in place. His legs still hurt like hell, but they no longer felt as if he'd been lit on fire.

Slowly, he sat upright, and even tried to stand, but his legs gave out. Thalia frowned at this, saying, "I guess there wasn't enough nectar to totally heal your body. But you'll get further treatment back at camp."

The boy looked at her quizzically. "Um, what camp?"

"Camp Half-Blood. A safe haven for people like us." she said, ordering her hunters to start moving out.

"Wait, what? People like us? Look, thanks for helping me but I don't even know you." she looked at Zachary like he was stupid.

"I told you my name, didn't I?" He rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant."

She shrugged. "You'll get the detailed version once we arrive. For now though," she knelt beside him, "sorry about this."

Zachary opened his mouth to ask what she was sorry about when she threw her fist, and then the next thing he knew the lights had gone out.

XXX

 _A week later..._

When Zachary awoke, the first thing he felt was a bone crushing hug. He assumed it was his mother.

"Oh my gods, Zachary! I was so worried, I thought after the Hydra attacked you wouldn't have made it out alive. Thank the Hunters you're okay!" Ashley hugged her son fiercely, sounding relieved.

"I'm fine mom. Really, I am." he reassured, but that's when another voice popped in.

"Really? Because you didn't look so good when they brought you in kid." Robert Wilson stepped out from the shadows, making the mother and son jump. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, it was just that corner of the room had a bad bulb, so I couldn't help myself, you know?" Zachary snorted, because that was such a Rob thing to do.

Rob got slightly more serious. "How you doing kid? Heard you got attacked by Hydra. Lemme just say, worst first monster _ever_." he joked, but Zachary caught that 'Hydra' part from his mom and that girl Thalia too. He rubbed his temples. "Hydra..."

His parents looked at him oddly. This time he looked back up, meeting their eyes. "Hydra. That's what Thalia called that monster. Are you guys in on this too?"

His parents shared a not so secretive glance between them. Still, Rob tried to lie. Thing was, Rob was not a very good liar. "What are you talking about kid? In on wh-"

"Rob, I was just attacked by some type of overgrown snake-lizard thing. Don't. Lie to me!" he snapped. His mother caressed his hand, sharing a look with his stepfather. She opened her mouth to speak. "Honey..."

"I think, I am more suited for this." interrupted a wise sounding man. We all turned to look at him. First thing Zachary noticed was the fact that the middle aged man was in a wheelchair. He wore a khaki suit over a blue sweater vest, which he wore over a white dress up shirt, and a red tie. The man had chocolate brown hair and a full beard, and wrinkles on his forehead that signified that he was always under a lot of stress, but at the same time had crow feet and smile lines as if saying 'I've lived a full life, and I'm still going!' But the thing that intrigued the boy the most was the man's eyes. They seemed old, as if he'd seen so many horrors in this world, so dark that they were kept prisoners within his mind.

Still, he smiled at him. "Hello Mr. Johnson. My name is Chiron, and I am the activities director here at Camp Half-Blood. I've heard much about you." he held out his hand in a friendly manner, and Zachary actually shook it. Oddly enough, he felt almost compelled to do so, as if this man's aura truly meant no harm.

But that last statement confused him though. "Wait, you've heard about me? From my parents, you mean?" he turned to his mother. "How long have you been trying to send me here?" he asked.

Ashley sighed. "Actually, I've been doing everything I can to keep you _away_ from this place. But I guess that wasn't meant to be." Again, Zachary was greatly confused by this.

"What? Why? Are you guys apart of some sort of cult?" it was Rob who spoke this time.

"No Zachary, we're not apart- _actually_...hey Chiron, can this be considered as a cult?" he asked, and Chiron gave him an exasperated look.

"Mr. Wilson, I am going to pretend you did not ask that." Chiron turned his attention back to the boy in bed. "Unfortunately, the orientation film will not quite do this time around, as you are a bit of an odd case. Can you walk?" he asked. Zachary nodded, standing up as if he hadn't gotten both his legs broken mere days before.

"Wait, Chiron, don't you think it's a little too soon to-" Chiron raised a hand and silenced her. He smiled up at her. "Don't worry Ashley, I've done this plenty of times before. Follow me my boy." he told Zachary, wheeling his chair outside. Zachary followed him, still unsure as to what was going on. When they both exited the infirmary, Zachary was surprised at what he saw.

Camp Half-Blood given its most basic, underrated, over-simplistic summary was a summer camp combined with a strawberry farm. He assumed the strawberries covered their expenses. However, a more detailed view, was that Camp Half-Blood was also a magical boot-camp with monsters (yeah, he saw that _big ass fucking dragon_ ), mystical creatures (unless goat legs are the new PINK yoga pants) and soldiers with archaic weaponry (not a single gun wielder in sight). Yeah...Zachary just wanted to go home.

"This is Camp Half-Blood. Now to start off, first let me stretch my legs." Zachary snorted, and was about to ask if that was a joke, but that's when Chiron actually made to move. And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, Zachary thought he was wearing white pants under his dress pants, but as he kept rising out of the chair, taller than any man, he realized that those weren't an extra pair of pants; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.

"Suddenly, nothing in life makes sense anymore." he muttered, but Chiron heard him, and chuckled.

"Come along, Zachary. I have much to show you."

* * *

 **Yes, I did steal that last bit from The Lightning Thief, please don't copyright me, because that's just a dick thing to do. Until chapter three,**

 **~~Peace~~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone. I meant to update yesterday, but since I log in through Google, FanFiction wouldn't let me access my account. Anyway enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 **So...Mythology Is Real?**

Zachary was honestly stumped by the camps beauty, but he was in all honesty far more stumped by the fact that this 'Chiron' was telling him that Greco-Roman mythology was real. And the thing was, there wasn't any way he _couldn't_ believe him. But it just…didn't make any sense.

"I'm sorry, just…how?" He cut the centaur off as he explained the activities and daily training regimen here at Camp Half-Blood.

Chiron looked as confused as he was. "You don't understand why we have a lava rock climbing wall?" Zachary was going to pretend those words hadn't just come out of his mouth.

"Just…everything!" He threw up his hands, a clear sign that he was frustrated. But he wasn't. He was just so _lost_ , and he didn't want to be here along with a long list of complaints but he didn't have the mental strength to actually form those thoughts. "How are the gods alive? Why are there so many demigods, how is magic a thing, and what do I have to do with all of this?!" he screamed, catching the attention of a couple.

Chiron's face remained as patient as ever as he folded his arms. "Mr. Johnson, have you ever heard of something called 'Western Civilization'?" he asked. Zachary folded his arms, muttering, "Yes."

Chiron beamed. "Good. That should make this far easier to explain." he cleared his throat. "Well, for starters, the idea known as Western Civilization is not a mere abstract concept, rather, it is a metaphysical flame that moves with the flow of society, fueled by everything that constitutes humanity's collective spirit and civilization. It moves to wherever the center of human prosperity and influence is at, like it was when it was founded originally in Greece. From there, it then landed in Rome, where the gods stayed almost as long, then carried on across Europe, staying in Great Britain for several centuries. Finally, as of 1860, the flame of the west now resides in America, more specifically in New York."

Zachary quirked an eyebrow. "Really? Because I don't ever remember recalling an entire ancient empire in New York." he said sarcastically, already getting migraines from the stupid explanations. Chiron chuckled. "Olympus resides on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building, my boy. To those with better immunity to the Mist, they can see something glowing from the bottom of the Empire State. Those with much less immunity, well, they only see the sky." he shrugged, passing by several mischievous looking kids that in Zachary's opinion, looked elfish.

"Wait, what mist?" the clueless boy asked. The centaur shook his head. "Not mist. _Mist_ , capital 'm'. It is the magical field that hides the magical from the mortal world."

"So what do they see?" Chiron shrugged. "Often times, it depends. Mortals believe what they want to believe." the boy wanted to press even further, because that didn't make any fucking sense, but decided he's had enough migraines for today. But that's when the real question popped up.

"So what's the hook?" he asked. The centaur turned to look at him.

"I beg your pardon?" Zachary rolled his eyes. "The hook. There's got be something that's keeping the gods here, yet no one's believed in polytheistic religions in so long, with a couple of exceptions of course. Not to mention, what's with the camp? Who are these kids? What about my parents...how am I involved in this?" he asked. Zachary wasn't sure, but for the briefest of seconds, he saw something dark flash in the old trainer's eyes. But as soon as it came, it disappeared. Zachary chalked it up to the reflection of the sun...or, Apollo's chariot? Wow, that's confusing. Nothing about this made sense.

"Zachary, what are some of the most common tales you've heard in mythology?" Zachary shrugged. "Not much. I know some parts about Hercules, I know the story behind the first six Olympians, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, etcetera, etcetera." he said this casually, and that's when thunder boomed, causing him to flinch. He looked up, confused. It wasn't even that cloudy.

"Be careful to not throw names like that around so casually. Otherwise..." Chiron's eyes pointed up to the sky, and then back to him. Zachary nodded, shuddering. If there was one way he'd prefer to not go out, it'd be through electrocution.

"Anyway, you say you've heard of Hercules, or Heracles as we Greeks call him. Do you know why Heracles was regarded as a great hero?"

"He had super strength?" he said. Chiron nodded. "What else?"

Zachary thought about it for a second. "He was...the son of Zeus?" Chiron snapped his fingers, nodding. "Yes! That's what I was looking for! Heracles was indeed the _demigod_ son of Zeus. And it is the demigods that have kept the gods alive to this very day."

Zachary tilted his head. "I'm sorry, what?"

Chiron looked off to the side, seeing some blondes practice archery at an archery range. Zachary kind of wanted to go there.

"It's as you've said, Mr. Johnson. The mortal world is learning to move on without us, but the truth is, it can not. There are monsters in this world, many like the Hydra you faced, that would tear this world apart without the existence of the gods. And without the gods, the walls built to keep out older, _darker_ forces would undo themselves, and be unleashed onto the innocent mortals. To keep their existence, they needed a constant anchor, and that anchor became the demigods."

Zachary was a little confused at first, but then slowly, he came to realize what Chiron was talking about. He looked around. All these kids, some around his age, were...?

"The demigods here at Camp Half-Blood is their anchor. They believe because they have no other choice but to believe; it is their heritage, after all."

"All these kids...they're demigods?" he asked. Chiron nodded. "Yes, they are."

"But how do you know that?" Zachary asked. Chiron began explaining.

"Most demigods share certain traits: they're dyslexic, they either of ADD or ADHD, have one parent, a parent and stepparent or no parents. The dyslexia is merely their brains trying to read a language they weren't programmed for, which is often English. Naturally, demigods can read Ancient Greek much easily. And their ADD/ADHD? Merely their battle instincts. They are programmed for battle, bred-born warriors. They also have a tendency to always get into trouble."

Zachary grimaced. "Wow, I'd be surprised if any demigod made it to age thirty." Chiron sighed, his posture looking worn. "Often not my boy. But, things have gotten much better over the past decade." Zachary then realized that they had gotten off track, and asked again, "Wait, how am I involved in this again?"

Chiron frowned. "I thought the answer would be obvious. Rethink your earlier question: how are you and your parents involved in this. Recall what I've just told you." Zachary frowned, but actually did start recalling what Chiron had been telling him. Slowly, the pieces of the puzzle were put together in the boy's mind, and that's when it all clicked.

"My mom and Rob...are demigods?" that...that would actually explain his stepfather's incredible archer skills. There were only two arher gods he knew of in this pantheon, Apollo and Artemis. And he'd never met Rob's father, apparently because his parents had a one-night fling and then the man left. Already was Apollo painted as an asshole in his mind.

Thunder roared again, but it didn't startle him this time, though it did make him look up nervously.

The old centaur nodded. "Indeed. Can you guess their godly parents?"

"Rob is Apollo's son, I'm sure, but I don't see any god or goddess that fits my mother's description." he admitted. Chiron nodded, content that he was finally starting to catch on. "Indeed. Mr. Wilson is a son of Apollo, and your mother is in fact a daughter of Athena."

Zachary blinked. "Wait, I thought Athena was supposed to be a virgin goddess, like Artemis and Hestia?"

"She is. However, unlike Lady Artemis who has her hunters to keep her company, and Lady Hestia who has no desire to be a mother, Lady Athena wanted but couldn't have a family of her own. At least, not naturally. She would eventually come to discover that she could create children from the union of her thoughts and a mortal's ingenuity. That would make all of her children 'brain children' in a sense."

"I'm not even gonna question that, because apparently godly magic is the answer to everything," he said at first. "So, that does that mean I'm Athena's grandson?" immediately afterwards, a light appeared out of nowhere, blinding him temporarily. Chiron was looking at him, or more specifically what was over his head, saying, "Well, I believe that answers your question." Zachary looked up, and saw what appeared to be a spinning hologram over his head. It was a glowing silver horned owl, it wings spread out as if it was about to take flight, in combination with two golden snakes that elegantly wrapped around the owl, reminding him of the caduceus carried by the god Hermes. When it disappeared, he noticed some odd looks being thrown his direction, but he decided to simply ignore them.

"Chiron, what was that?" he asked the centaur.

"That was your claiming." he answered, but didn't stop there. "To be claimed means your godly parent officially recognizes you as their child. In this case, you are recognized as the legacy of Athena...and Hermes, of course." he said that last part uneasily, and it actually made Zachary wonder: why Hermes? He wondered if his mother was also a legacy of Hermes, but for some reason that didn't feel like the truth. In fact, it may have to with the one subject his mother had always diverted from.

"Chiron, how can I be a legacy of Hermes?" he asked, but Chiron turned away, walking towards one of the cabins. He blinked, not believing his answer was so easily ignored. He caught up with the old centaur, grabbing his arm. "Chiron, wait. I just want to know...did you know who my-" Chiron retreated his arm from his hold, making his frown. Chiron sighed. "That is...not a discussion for today. You should ask your mother first, Mr. Johnson."

Zachary quickly grew frustrated. "My mom never brings him up! Every time I try to bring him up, she just changes the subject." he didn't care if he was the result of a one night stand or anything, but didn't he at the very least have the right to know? Fourteen years, a constant question in his mind, yet never once answered. And now with all this bullshit going on, he now knew that Chiron at the very least had known him.

Chiron shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry Zachary, but out of respect for your mother, I can not reveal this to you. It is your mother's story to tell, and believe me when I say it is a long one." The legacy wanted to press on further, but wisely chose to shut up. They continued on in that long silence for the next couple of minutes, until they finally stopped in front of a 'cabin'. In reality, it didn't look much like one, as most other didn't either. It was a gray building with an owl carved over the doorway and plain white curtains. It looked like a big metal gardening shed in his opinion.

"Well, this is Cabin 6, otherwise known as the Athena Cabin. I'd imagine you'd prefer this over the Hermes Cabin." he said, but the legacy asked anyway. "Why's that?"

Chiron chuckled. "Lord Hermes' offspring are infamously known to be quite the thieves. Not to mention, his cabin is often rather overcrowded."

Zachary nodded, snorting lightly. "Yeah, okay, thanks for dropping me off Chiron. This is...a lot to take in."

Chiron smiled warmly. "Of course, my child. If there's anything you need, just talk to your mother or stepfather. Or me, as I'll often either be in the Big House or archery range."

Zachary nodded, about to step in. But before he did, he felt like he had to ask. "Chiron...is he dead?" Chiron didn't answer immediately, instead looking off to the side. He was staring at a bunch of kids, just playing volleyball, as if nothing in the world mattered.

"He was, the last I heard of him. Although apparently, he had chosen to start over. It sounds like the type of thing he'd do." he said. Zachary didn't quite understand, but before he could ask him to explain what he meant, the old centaur quickly galloped away, leaving Zachary alone in front of Cabin 6. He looked down at his feet, sighing.

"Well, guess this is my life now." and then he went in, ready to meet his extended family.

XXX

 _Hours later..._

It wasn't as bad as he had thought it'd be. When the legacy entered the cabin, he was immediately confronted by who he presumed was the leader, someone who went by the name Jefferson. He was only a few years older than he was, but those piercing gray eyes, a trait he recognized in his mother, made him seem much older. When he introduced himself, Jefferson was quick to accept him, something about them all being 'family' which he though was technically true. After all, these guys were both his uncles and nieces whilst at the same time being his second cousins. Gods, the Greco-Roman family tree was so messed up.

Anyway, the children of Athena were quick to accept him as a member, despite not being a direct descendant of the goddess. He got his own bunk close to the wall, a dresser and even a desk. Even having spent little time with them, Zachary was beginning that children of the gods must have a common trait shared amongst them, because much like his own mother, the Athena Cabin was calculating, ambitious and intelligent, much like his own mother. Many aspired to become teachers and professors, while others wanted to become designers and engineers. Zachary himself aspired to be an engineer someday, thinking any knowledge learned in that area may be used to help people in the future. It sounded naive, which was why he was hesitant to share it, but surprisingly the Athena Cabin was not full of assholes, though there were a couple of smartasses. Not that he was any better. Jefferson, a senior in highschool, aspired to be an architectural engineer, which was pretty cool in Zachary's opinion. He himself had once been interested in architecture, before finding out that his passions lied elsewhere.

Before the legacy knew it, it was lunch time, and Zachary was surprised to find that he was starving. Being comatose for a week did that you, he guessed. Jefferson called for the Athena Cabin to line up from tallest to shortest. Jefferson was an exception to this because he was a senior camper, evidenced by the fact that he the most number of beads on his necklace. Zachary never considered himself short for his age, but he was a little annoyed to find himself near the end of the line. Seriously, why did this camp have such tall kids?

The line made their way up a hill, where the dining pavilion lied. Zachary took note of the Greek styled columns that framed the place, but noticed no roof or covering of any sort. When he asked Vanessa, a blonde Athena girl slightly taller than himself, why this was the case, she answered that the border was protected by a magical barrier that not only protected them and hid them from monsters and the outside world, but also could be manipulated so that the weather would never affect them. Handy, he thought. He wondered just what else magic was capable of.

When they approached the buffet, he began loading his plate with various foods of all sorts. Gods, he was so hungry. Before he could go find a table to sit, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around irritably, but then it disappeared when he was staring at Thalia, the girl who saved his life and dragged his unconscious ass to safety. She smiled kindly, but there was slight amusement dancing in her electric blue eyes. Zachary liked the unique coloring, he decided.

Thalia jabbed a thumb to where a bunch of people were lining up. "The pavilion fire is over there by the way." Zachary blinked, seeing people throw pieces of their food into the flame.

"Um, what?" Thalia rolled her eyes, but only in amusement. "The pavilion fire is where we go to sacrifice our food in the name of the gods, usually our parents or patrons. Come, I'll show you." she gestured for him to get in line with her, and Zachary would be rude to say no to the girl that had saved her life. When it was Thalia's turn, she said, "To Artemis." before throwing a decent sized portion of her french fries into the flame, and the frame actually responded, growing larger and brighter. The legacy of wisdom and mischief could've also sworn he caught a faint whiff of nature, as if he was standing right in the middle of a forest.

Thalia seemed comforted by the odd scent, smiling as she left the line. Zachary stepped up next, and copied her, muttering "Athena." He grimaced as he accidentally dropped an entire pizza slice into the flames, the delicious food burning away as the scent of polished mahogany, paper, olives and even birds assaulted him. He grimaced as he took in the disgusting scent, before throwing in a baked potato into the fire, muttering, "Hermes." hoping his other grandparent wouldn't assault him with a smell just as bad.

Instead what he got was a lot stranger. At first, it was the smell of paper, dirt roads and medicine. But then the smells quickly changed into the smell of hot dogs, and then oddly enough, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The flame grew brighter and became white and gold in color, and for a split second, Zachary saw the reflection of someone who looked a lot like him. And while he couldn't completely make-out his look alike's features, he did notice one striking trait: a jagged scar that went down the left side of the look alike's face.

And then just like that, it was as if nothing had happened. Zachary blinked, suddenly aware that there were other people on the line that wanted to get this over with. He muttered an apology as he looked for a place to sit.

"Zachary!" Zachary looked over to where his name was being called, and saw that his mother was sitting with all her siblings. He smiled, walking over and sitting with his mom alongside his uncles and aunts.

"Hey mom." he said, taking a bite of his steak. He had grabbed quite a bit of food.

Ashley smiled at him. "Hi honey. How you liking camp?" she began eating as well, grabbing some grilled chicken off of her plate.

Zachary sighed. "I'm...still taking it all in. Mom, seriously, how could you keep this from me? You and Rob couldn't have told me this years ago?"

Ashley snorted. "That's not exactly the kind of bomb you throw to your son when he hits puberty, especially you." there was contained laughter from all around our table, but I ignored it.

"Mom, answer the question. Today's been way too exhausting." he said seriously, causing his mother's smile to dim a little. She sighed, picking at her food a little.

"This is life...it's dangerous, Zachary. Having experienced it myself, I've always just wanted to keep you safe. I didn't know at what age monsters would start to notice you, but I guess it was at this age they'd come for you. I should've known, but I thought your scent would be stronger since..." she suddenly stopped, as if catching herself from saying something she shouldn't. But Zachary was perceptive when he wanted to be, and he couldn't help but wonder if this was because of his unnamed father. Though Ashley recomposed herself.

"I'm just saying that we've been trying to protect you, that's all." she finished. Zachary believed her, and apologized. "Yeah, o-okay. I'm sorry for snapping at you by the way."

Ashley smiled, gripping her son's hand. "It's okay, hon. I get it, really. I do."

With that out of the way, they talked about other things, mainly about camp. Admittedly, Zachary was excited about the fact that he may have to stay here for a few months. He was really looking forward to all those weapons lessons, mainly learning on how to further improve his archery skills and learning how to wield a sword. Even some of the Athena Cabin joined in on their conversations. The big happy family kept talking for the next hour until lunch ended, which surprised the legacy. He hadn't realized time had gone by so quickly, but as they say 'time flies by.'

Someone tapped his shoulder, and Zachary spun around to see his stepfather with that big happy grin he had become accustomed to.

"Sup Rob." he said. Rob grinned. "Hey kid. How you liking camp?"

He smiled. "It's pretty cool so far. Actually, I was hoping you'd take me to the archery range." Rob's smile became a little nervous, causing his stepson to raise an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" Rob hesitated. "Just...the Hunters are sort of in there right now."

Zachary recalled that was the group of girls that Thalia led, the ones who saved him. "Oh that's cool. Even better, I should probably thank them for saving my life." he began walking but that's when his stepfather blocked his path.

"A-Ah, maybe that's not a good idea." Rob said, nervously laughing. Zachary quickly grew annoyed. "Why?"

The son of Apollo sighed. "See the thing is, the Hunters are a group of monster hunters led by the goddess Artemis, the goddess of archery and maidenhood. To get in, they pledge their lives and maidenhood to Lady Artemis and in exchange she boosts their physical attributes while also making them immortal."

"That sounds like a tough trade." only a foolish and naive girl would think that joining the Hunters would be completely worth it. No wonder the group was so small.

"For most of those girls, it isn't. Some of them have been hurt in ways one could only imagine, which is why they decided to throw their old lives away, serving Lady Artemis until death or until she releases them."

Zachary didn't really have a response to that. He understood better now, but it was still just a temporary solution. To the hunters who died in the Hunt's service, he'd ask if any of it was worth it. To the ones still living, he'd ask when they'd be ready to move on. Psychologically, this whole thing could really mess them up, especially since they all appear to be not much older than fourteen, except for Thalia. It could really screw with a teenage girl's development.

Still, one question rung in his mind. "Wait, why are you telling me all this?"

Rob sighed, as if the answer should be obvious. "Because of their bad experiences with boys and men, these girls are serious misandrists. I just don't want you to get harassed is all."

Zachary snorted. "Thanks for the advice Rob, but I'm not afraid of a bunch of adolescent brats who don't know when to move on." that had come out much harsher than he had intended it, but Rob paid the comment no mind. He merely sighed.

"Fine, but I'm definitely coming with you." with that said, the stepfather and stepson walked towards the archery range.


End file.
